Mayorkas taps Jason Owens to replace retiring Border Patrol chief

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas announced Friday that he is choosing Jason Owens to serve as the next chief of U.S. Border Patrol. 

Mayorkas said in a release that Owens will succeed Raul Ortiz as the head of the agency responsible for securing the country’s borders and preventing illegal crossings and threats from entering. 

“Chief Owens is a talented, selfless, and inspiring leader who is dedicated to the Border Patrol’s law enforcement mission, the men and women who fulfill it, and the country that we all serve,” Mayorkas said. “I have worked with Chief Owens; I am inspired by his commitment to the mission, and am grateful to him for his continued service in this new leadership role.” 

NewsNation reported that Owens has served in Border Patrol for 25 years and has served as chief of the U.S. Border Patrol Academy. 

Ortiz announced last month that he would step down from his role on June 30 after leading the agency since August 2021. His departure comes as the country’s Title 42 policy, which allowed the U.S. to more quickly reject migrants’ asylum claims during the COVID-19 pandemic on public health grounds, expired earlier in May. 

The number of undocumented immigrants coming into the country reached new highs in the past year, but an expected surge at the border at least in the days immediately following the end of Title 42 appeared not to materialize. 

Mayorkas announced on Monday that acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Tae Johnson would retire after leading the agency in an acting capacity since 2021.